Knock-Knock

Knock-Knock

A memory knocked

on   my   door    last

night.   She  pushed

her way in  before I

had    a    chance   to

send    her    on   her

way.   She  looked  a

little like  you   used

to   and   asked   me

“how’ve you  been?”

The question caught

me       0ff       guard,

having failed to take

inventory  for  some

time.      I  consulted

with my regrets and

sent a text to several

days  gone by,   but I

couldn’t  for  the  life

of   me    figure   out

why it would matter

to a  lonely  memory

seeking shelter from

the     heat     of      a

summer's     evening.

SMG 

Standing Hampton (Stacie Halas News Poem)

Standing Hampton

Boys of 13 can be

Ill at ease with the
Girls their own age

Sophomoric and

Awkward; their advances
Untoward grasps at
Something still not understood.
Afraid of rejection, a boy's mind
Gravitates toward a place where
Embarrassment is unthinkable.

Pubescent teacher fantasies,

Inevitably follow, in the confused
Zeitgeist of middle school and
Zaftig pants days that always
Accompany adolescence.

SMG

A middle school teacher named Stacie Halas has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into rumors that she's also a hardcore porn actress, KCAL-TV reports.
Haydock Intermediate School officials released a statement saying the teacher, whose name is being withheld, is not facing criminal charges -- but that the school considers the activity to be inappropriate.
“It has been alleged that one of our teachers is depicted in at least one pornographic video and possibly others on the internet…These sites contain extremely graphic and inappropriate pornographic material.”
KTLA-TV reports that officials were alerted when students showed administrators a pornographic video allegedly starring the teacher.
"These allegations do not involve any Oxnard School District students," the school's statement says, according to KTLA. "We are asking teachers to discourage the children from searching for and/or visiting these inappropriate sites. We ask that you be particularly vigilant over the next few days with respect to the Internet content being accessed by your child on his or her telephone or other Internet-ready devices."
Superintendent Jeff Chancer told the Ventura County Star his main worry -- other than students trying to search for videos of the teacher -- is that it will disrupt productivity.
"My biggest concern right now is the effect it will have on the learning of our children that we serve,"

The "News Poem" is a creation of Toylit. You can find Stacey Here (warning adult content). Updates to the story

Poets and Other Liars

Poets and Other Liars

She told me that she wanted love

stricken from the poetic lexicon.

It is often a lie after all

but then again poets are liars.

Dreamers that distill language

down to its purest form

in a vain effort to sip 90 proof

metaphors of truth and passion.

I used to write love notes

on the fogged mirror of her bathroom

on my way out in the morning.

She would sing full throat in the shower,

sweet songs of joy and hope

that stuck in my head

as I walked out the door.

I suppose she stopped singing

when she finally realized I was gone.

She asked if any of it was true

and I looked past her

and nodded platitudes.

One more lie couldn’t hurt.

“I’m sorry I hurt you” fell

to the floor next to her tears

as I composed a new poem in my head.

SMG

The Major Arcana

1 ~ The Magician

My fingers still

struggle to collect

the broken pieces

of silver like regret.

I am tired of this magic,

pretty pearl and alabaster

lies. Could I purchase

your miracles, your belief,

your redemption?

Lay your hands on

this heart appliquéd

upon my sleeve, until

it beats and dances again

with the ghost of your love.

Pray for me now,

my better angels,

for I am not a prophet;

I’m just a man

in need of salvation

and a place to rest.

2 ~ The High Priestess

Divinity is a woman

adorned in the azure

of morning and crowned

in the stars of the midnight sky.

She stands with Boaz

and Jachin and guards

the Holy of Holies, the mystery,

the feminine that is God.

The moon sits at her feet

as if the heavens wait

for a glimpse behind

her veil of crimson and purple.

Pomegranate and palm

belie the unspoken, the need

for supplication and blood

contained within.

For she is the beauty

of a calm sea, La Papessa,

steadfast, the one that is

truth and love...

d'Verse Poets Writing Prompt

Renewal

a distant thunder, pounding rain,

the potamides, will dance again

water down the mountain slopes—

the spring ritual invokes

the nymph’s blood of renewal

to sate the valley, poet and the fool

SMG

Prompt HERE

Pressure Cooker

Pressure Cooker

The boiling point for water,

at sea level, is two hundred

and twelve degrees Fahrenheit.

Under pressure the boiling point

will rise at a scale corresponding

with an increase in pounds

per square inch or kilopascal.

I’m not really sure what

the boiling point of faith is

but there would appear to be

an inverse relationship

with an increase in pressure.

Gods and their minions tend to boil

over easier and with more frequency

as the pressure of life’s uncertainty

rises.

Force equals mass times

acceleration. The force required

for flying metal to separate

human limbs from the body

varies based upon the size and age

of the human in question.

The break point for an eight year old

is less than that of an exchange student

or an adult woman but all will break

if sufficient force is applied.

Nails, ball bearings and gunpowder,

ignited in a pressurized environment,

will achieve the required velocity

and generate more than enough force

to break most humans along with
most of my faith in humankind.

SMG

Summer Blossoms

Summer Blossoms

The sad skies of spring wept for 36 days,

life blood tears for the blooms of summer.

Shed of their winter garb and June’s gloom,

they sprout from the Manhattan sidewalk

all pale skin and pretty print dresses.

Beautiful “look at me” buds

on every corner fight for a flicker

of the sun’s attention. Their fragile

petals and long stems so eager

to be clipped, arranged, adorned

and loved on a dinning room table.

On every corner of the city, the scent

of new petals and flash of vibrant colors

distract the eye. Alas, the pursuit

of summer blossoms is a young man’s game,

but I do so like to watch and recall

my fertile days afield.

SMG

Contributor’s Copies, Chapbooks and Other Printed Self-delusion

Contributor’s Copies, Chapbooks

and Other Printed Self-delusion

 

My fingernails

are dirty from yet

another recycled

toner cartridge

and I think

it’s raining again.

83 hours of

Formatted

screen shots

and Ctrl/Alt/Delete

have rendered

me useless

to the merry-go-round.

 

I’m not sure

Jesus loves me

anymore

but my bottle

is still half full

so I’ll worry

about it tomorrow.

I can’t remember

what it’s like

to use a voice

that requires

no fingers

and I am closer

to pixilated

ethereal avatars

than I am

to the guy in 1B.

 

I ordered a can

of expanding foam

from a late night

TV commercial

because this gap

in my chest

is becoming

just a bit

unmanageable.

 

SMG 

Shinigami

Shinigami

I am the one,

he that hides

from moonbeams,

dances and revels,

in the naked darkness.

A creak in the next room

when the lights go out,

I am shadow fears

and cold sweat

nightmares.

I am the one,

the determination

that draws you

to the platform’s edge

in anticipation of

the coming train’s approach.

The flash of polished steel

against your wrist,

I am emboldened

in the blood.   

I am the one,

the trepidation and shiver

as you walk alone at night,

the eyes that rake the cityscape

and the whisper of surrender.

The voice of Emma

is my herald,

if you hear the call

prepare.

SMG

Pretentious Little Poet by the Poetry Rack at Borders

Pretentious Little Poet by the Poetry Rack at Borders

"If you like Bukowski
then you should
definitely
check out
this anthology.
It has several
of my poems
in it and
Bukowski
is my
biggest
influence"

SMG